The Nebraska football team coasted to a 55-0 win Saturday night over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Cornhusker quarterback Zac Lee put away any worries about his injured left hand, passing for 238 yards and a touchdown against a Lafayette defense that stacked the box all night.
The NU signal caller was more than pleased with his night.
"That was important for me personally," Lee said. "After Virginia Tech, I made an effort to be sharp and get back on track and make sure I refocus myself."
Thirteen different Huskers caught at least one pass on the night, but not all from Lee. Backup quarterbacks Cody Green and Latravis Washington both saw action, but Green was the only other quarterback to throw, completing 7-of-8 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Green couldn't believe the atmosphere of getting to play in Nebraska's 300th-consecutive sellout.
"Never have I ever seen anything like that," Green said. "Once we started driving up somewhere near the Devaney Center, there were hundreds of people in parking lots and down streets, and it was just different than any other home game so far."
It was different with what happened on the field too according to most players.
The Nebraska defense shut down any Lafayette hopes of putting points on the board, mostly because of two key turnovers in Nebraska territory.
The defense played tough all night long, and Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini the performance made him proud.
"That's something we harp on every week," Pelini said. "We didn't have any at Virginia Tech, and we just wanted to be more aggressive to the football and don't let an opportunity go by. I was excited to see that."
Husker safety Larry Asante took an interception back 74 yards for a touchdown while linebacker Sean Fisher and safety Matt O'Hanlon both recovered fumbles on the night. The three turnovers forced by Nebraska's defense put their total at 10 on the year—just seven shy of last year's season total.
The offense complemented the play-making defense Saturday night, primarily through the air. The 300 yards passing marks the second time through four games that NU has been able to reach that milestone.
NU coach Bo Pelini, who tries to never be satisfied until he sees a perfect team, said he was still pleased with what he saw out of his team in response to the Virginia Tech loss.
"I always want us to play better," Pelini said. "I'm one of those guys who is never satisfied, but obviously I'm proud. I'm going to look at the film this week the same way I looked at it last week, and that's to evaluate what we need to get fixed and work to get better because of what happened out there for both the good and the bad."
Nebraska now has its first bye week of the season to assist in preparation for its game against undefeated Missouri in Columbia, Mo. the following week. There will be a lot to focus on as the team gets ready for its first Big 12 Conference game of 2009, but several players feel comfortable heading into conference play.
Pelini said that although there are good things to look at, the team still has plenty to work on before the Mizzou game.
"Across the board, I think we have to play cleaner," Pelini said. "Six penalties is too much. We have to fix that. The things we have to fix are all in our control. We have to fix ourselves in a lot of different respects, and we'll keep working to do that."
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